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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. net — after costs
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. net — for catching
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. deal — to handle
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. roll — a cake
  13. file — a line of people
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. roll — a list
  16. file — a tool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. net — in sport
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com